Statesboro, GA: Matt and Laurel

Three Boys and a Cute House in Georgia
“Three boys?!” Bella exclaimed as we pulled into Statesboro, GA…”I don’t like boys!”. I assured her that boys are super fun and they love to play games and run outside…and that she would have a wonderful time. I didn’t lead her astray…we had a lovely stay with Matt and Laurel, and Bella was warmly welcomed by Caedmon, Landing, and Bauer…the three young men of the house. They taught her how to get dirty, run fast, jump high, and swing until dark!

Statesboro is a quaint little town of 25,000 with big trees and big hospitality. Home of Georgia Southern University, it’s the ONLY city in the U.S. by the name of Statesboro…and if you travel much, you know that pretty much every state has the same city names repeated over and over! I love fun little facts…so there you go.

New Friends and Pumping
The first night we arrived, Laurel had arranged for a potluck with her friends and family. We had a great time showing them the RV, feeding them raw snacks in the RV, and watching the kids run wild in the backyard. Speaking of that…they have an amazing wooded lot (a beautiful place to park for a few days!) with a large swing set, trampoline, and other toys. Bella has been working on learning how to “pump” on the swings, and it was in Statesboro that she mastered the art of getting herself up on it by herself and launching herself into a full swing by just using her legs (no help!). We were so proud. :)

During the rest of our time there, the kids spent most of their time in the backyard playing. If they weren’t outside, they were up in the boys’ room playing house or doctor. Bella was thrilled to find new friends who loved to PRETEND and PLAY as much as she does.


Laurel and I have been online friends for a long time…and we had so much fun chatting the days away. I helped her (and her friends) try on some of my non-traditional baby carriers (such as the Storchenwiege, The Kozy), The Kangaroo Korner Pouch, and The Hotsling. Babywearing is definitely a passion of mine…and anytime I can help make a mama’s life easier, I jump at the chance!

Feelin’ The Love
A few days before we arrived in Statesboro, I received an email from the friend of a friend of Laurel’s. :) Her name was Kim and after checking out our site, she generously offered to give me a free one hour massage while we were in town. Of course, I jumped at the chance. I met her at her office early one morning that we were there, and had the best massage ever! Then, I accompanied her to her yoga class…taught by a retired English professor, Fred. It was my first “real” yoga class and it was both relaxing and energizing. Combine that with the massage, and I was set up for the perfect day…I was practically floating. After the class, Fred and two others from the class took me out for lunch at a local cafe. It was so fun to chat about life, seeking simplicity, and travel.

Kim has trained with Dayna at New Day Yoga in Atlanta, which I think is the only Christian yoga certification in the country. Kim gave me a copy of Dayna’s CD, Yoga Basics, which walks you through an entire session of Christ-focused yoga…perfect for going yoga on the road. Thank you so much Kim! Click here to open the order form (in .pdf) to order your own.

While Kim is a restorative yoga instructor, her main focus right now is The Omm Center. She is the founder of OMM Center and leads Still Journey, a mind/body/Holy Spirit experience utilizing OMM Center’s Still Journey CD. The practice combines restorative yoga, breath-work and guided imagery to relax the body and mind, and is followed by 20-minutes of contemplative (silent) prayer to strengthen your spirit. Check out her website here.

Other highlights of Statesboro:

Coffee Night: Laurel and I enjoyed a mama’s night out and went for coffee. We got there around 10 and stayed until they closed…then we went back to the house and talked more! It was a late night…but we had SO much fun chatting and getting to know each other better. We talked A LOT about raw/living foods…and held a mini class in the RV. I taught Laurel how to make almond milk and green smoothies. Yum yum! Before we left Laurel decided to take the Happy Food Raw Challenge…and has been doing amazing on it! Yay Laurel! She also just ran her very first 5K…go girl!

Life Coaching and Photos: I had the opportunity to do some life coaching and a photo session while we were there…it’s such a joy to be able to do something that I am so passionate about. I do life coaching (and raw food coaching) by phone as well…book your consultation here!

Jeep Rides: Matt and Matt went out for a ride in Matt’s restored CJ7 Jeep…now that’s trouble :)

Center for Wildlife Education: We met several of Laurel’s delightful friends and their children at a nature center on the Georgia Southern campus. It was such a fun time…my camera battery died, so I only have a few that I took on the iphone, but be sure to check out the photo of Matt and Bella posing with the python. Good stuff.

Good Grease: Matt found TONS of good grease at a local restaurant…so we left Statesboro with our tank filled the brim and then some. Speaking of grease…after we left, I got an email from Laurel saying that they had purchased an old/restored Mercedes diesel to convert to run on veggie oil! Spreadin’ the love baby! We’re excited to see how it goes for them.

American Idol: We’ve loved American Idol over the years…but never get to watch it anymore. We had a fun time watching the TIVO’ed version while we were with Matt and Laurel :) Nothing like some AI for a relaxing evening!

Overall…we had a wild and wonderful time in Statesboro! The scenery was beautiful, the company was divine, and the grease was clean. Three for three! Thanks Matt and Laurel for everything…happy grease hunting and raw eatin’!

Photo album here.

3 Comments »

  1. That picture of Bella is my most favoritest picture you have EVER EVER taken. Love it.

    Comment by Heth — March 29, 2008 @ 1:15 pm

  2. Here is a great place for baby carriers!
    http://foxdenlane.com/

    Comment by Sandy — March 29, 2008 @ 2:28 pm

  3. Hi! I found you through Laurel’s blog. She and I have been “real friends” for years… we even go so far as to say that we live parallel lives (we had our boys at the same times, moved at the same time, hubbies changed jobs at the same time, etc.)

    I am so glad you had a wonderful stop in Statesboro, although I knew you would. Laurel is just one of the sweetest, sweetest people I know… and wise beyond her years. I’m jealous of the time you had with her!! :)

    Anyway, I just wanted to pop in and say hi. I know Laurel had a fantastic time as did everyone else. I’m always learning something new from Laurel and now I’m going to have to find more out about this veggie oil thing! I’ll be back another day to check out your blog. Right now I have to go tend to my three little men.

    So nice to meet you! Have a safe trip to your next destination!

    Becky

    Comment by Becky @ Boys Rule My Life — March 31, 2008 @ 6:19 am

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